Wise Bread (Sarah Winfrey)

Simple Living: Determining Your Priorities

Sarah Winfrey — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:02 +0000

Even with the economy slowly exiting the spectacular nosedive it took last year, many people find themselves with a renewed interest in living simply. However, what that means for each person depends on their own individual priorities. Determining what this means for each of us sounds like it should be easy, but instead is something many of us struggle with more than we are at peace about it.

Simplistic it might seem, but the easiest way to figure out your priorities is to make a list, then whittle it down based on how the different things that are important to you interact. There are some questions you can ask that dig right to the heart of this matter. They aren't always easy, but the answers will be more than satisfying.

What is necessary?

Things that are necessary must be done, plain and simple. It doesn't matter how much we like them — if they're essential, they go on the list.

However, we often tend to think things are essential that aren't. For instance, the amount of money we need can sometimes be drastically reduced if we eliminate things that truly aren't needed. Sure, we need food, water, and shelter, but do we really need catered lunches, Evian, and more bedrooms than there will ever be people in the house?

Include in your thoughts about necessities things like your individual needs for time and space. Maybe your mental health suffers if you don't meditate every day, or you continually dream of 30 minutes uninterrupted time alone. These are necessities, too, even if you usually ignore them.

Add these items to your list.

What do you like?

While we certainly can't eliminate everything unpleasant from our list of priorities, we're going to be more likely to focus on things we enjoy doing. It's worthwhile to make a list of these things, even if we find that some of them can't make our ultimate priority list.

Think about how you dream of spending your time — those things you'd love to do that consistently get ignored in favor of other, more urgent happenings. Think also about how you function best, whether it's being alone, finding yourself surrounded by people, or at a purple desk with glow-in-the-dark stars on the walls.

Think also about your if-onlys — that list of things you would do if only you had more time, money, space, energy, whatever.

Add them all to your list.

Set your list aside

Once you have your list, walk away from it for a while. Leave it someplace where you won't see it, where you might even forget it exists. Put a date on the calendar 2-4 weeks out from where you are now, to remind yourself to go back to it.

During these weeks away, don't intentionally think about your list, but don't stop yourself from thinking about it and the items on it, either. Note what you think about, but hold the thoughts loosely.

Review your list and make changes.

When the day pops up in your calendar, go back to your list. Read the items on it again, without trying to judge them or put them in order. Cross off anything that no longer seems to fit. Don't judge these choices — often, our priorities are buried so deeply inside us that we can't articulate why something does or does not belong.

Repeat this process of setting your list aside and coming back to it until you feel like the list in front of you is what you need to focus on, regardless of whether or not you like each of the items or think it's actually possible.

Take a deep breath when you get this list, then look at it again. Here, sitting right in front of you, is your own personal guide to simple living. Put your best energy toward these things and you will find your life taking on an easier, more manageable tone, not only psychologically but spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially as well.

Permalink | Comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Lifestyle

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Simple Living: Overcoming Negative Inertia

Sarah Winfrey — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:02 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

Simple living is all about your priorities. It's about knowing yourself well enough to know what you value, why you value it, and what is less important. It's about making room for what is important by letting go of what isn't. And it's about using your time and space well, focusing your energy on the priorities and truly letting go of the rest.

This sounds easy enough, and yet so many of us struggle with finding this balance. If you've ever found yourself wasting time when you know there's something you could be doing that means a lot to you, you've been in this boat. I know I find myself there all the time.

When we find ourselves in a place like this, expending time and energy in efforts that don't matter to us, we can react in a couple of different ways. Two seem common, though. First, we can give up. If we're never going to have time to do what's really important, why bother thinking about it at all? Secondly, we can try to overcome our negative inertia by sheer force of will, pushing against what we have in an effort to get what we want.

What we rarely do is examine why we ended up in this situation in the first place. Yet, when you come to think of it, this might actually be the most useful reaction we could have. It's one thing to push your way out of a bad place, but quite another to figure out how to stay out of that place in the future. And staying away from those places usually involves knowing how we got there.

So how do we get there? How do we end up in that place where so much of our energy is headed in a direction we don't want to go? There are several common answers to that question.

We let the urgent rule.

That old saying is true: the urgent is a tyrant. Things pop up in life that need to be taken care of now, Now, NOW and we, being the good mothers and fathers and employees and citizens that we are, nod, smile, and take care of it. But we do this at the expense of our own priorities.

We let others dictate our priorities.

Your priorities are just that: YOUR priorities. Unfortunately, there's nothing saying that your priorities will mirror or even come close to the priorities of your friends, family, coworkers, and other around you. This creates conflict and, when you're in the minority, it's often easier to second guess yourself than to stand strong.

We're afraid to fail.

Some things worth doing are worth doing poorly. And the joy is in the journey, not the arrival. We don't hear those things very often, but they're true. Our culture lies when it tells us that every endeavor has to be an overwhelming success or else there's no point in pursuing it. But we listen to the lie, and so end up putting our efforts toward the things we know will succeed and leaving in the dust anything that might be more risky.

So what can we do?

Whether you're like me and you see a little of yourself in each of these elements, or you tend to major in one of them over the others, the hurdle towards a simple life focused on your priorities can seem like it's just too big for you to ever jump.

The good news is that seeing your hurdles not only in your mind's eye but recognizing them in the moment as they come up and realizing that you are, once again, not living the way you would choose to live, is the first step towards overcoming them. It's also, arguably, the most important.

So start to notice. Open your eyes to why you do what you do, why you spend what you spend, why you want what you want. You may be surprised at what you find. While it might not be pleasant, it's the first step toward living a simple life focused on your priorities.

Permalink | 7 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Lifestyle

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What is Simple Living and Why Should I Care?

Sarah Winfrey — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:00:02 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

Even with predictions that our economy is turning around, the current financial climate isn't exactly what most people would call "good." In fact, for some of us, it's downright rotten. Regardless of your personal situation, the last year could be construed as an alarm clock, buzzing and beeping until we look around, see the excess in our lives, and eliminate it.

While it's true that not everyone feels the pull to cut back, overall there's something attractive about empty space, whether it's in our decorating, how we spend our time, or some wiggle-room in our budgets. Now that we have the financial motivation, it seems like a good time to figure out what we want, why we want it, and how we're going to get there.

Part of the allure of simple living is its mystique. What do you think of when you think of the simple life? Tibetan monks in a monastery on a high, frozen Himalayan mountainside? American pioneers, whittling their possessions down to whatever fit in a wagon so they could haul it across the country? Your parents or grandparents who, during the Depression, got by with so little that they still tell stories about it?

While all of these people definitely lived more simply than we do today, none of these portrayals is realistic for the average American. But what does simple living look like in today's modern, convenience-filled world? I think it looks different depending why and what's important to you. Why?

Because simple living is about priorities.

What is important to you and how can you ensure that those things get done, bought, and followed through on? Or, on the other hand, what isn't important to you? What could you easily do without? And what's in the middle? What is nice to have around you except when it gets in the way of those higher priorities?

Simple living means clearing out the space of our lives, in terms of time, money, and psychological space, so that those things that are the highest priority are ensured a place. It means living deliberately, not getting caught up in the infamous tyranny of the urgent but learning to keep our eyes on a higher goal.

Since we all have different priorities, simple living will look different for each one of us. Sure, we all have the same basic priorities...food, water, shelter, clothing, but even with these basic needs, different ones of us are willing to accept different types and kinds of provision. Beyond those, our priorities are very different, and that's ok.

We can learn to live in such a way that, whatever our priorities, they are almost always adequately provided for. It means making changes, even sacrificing some of those items in the middle so that the ones on top have more space. But the best thing about simple living?

In the end, we have the life we want.

Sure, things happen. And nothing's perfect. But we can make choices today that give our priorities the best possible chance of being met. Does it mean making changes? Almost certainly. Cutting back? Most likely.

But in the end, we reap the rewards of that work. We get to live lives that are full of the things we value and carry a minimum of the things we don't. How satisfying is that?

Permalink | 14 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Lifestyle

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3 Steps to Organize and Track Your Finances Without the Hassle

Sarah Winfrey — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:00:01 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

When it comes to money, there's a lot to track, especially if you're doing all the right things. It starts out simple enough, with a checking account and maybe one for savings, too. But pretty soon you've got a credit card or two (or three or ten!), retirement investment accounts, other investment accounts, savings accounts for different goals, school loans, home loans, and more! It gives me a headache just thinking about it.

But doing the right things with your money doesn't have to be overwhelming. You can simplify your financial life just like you can simplify any other aspect of your life: by removing clutter, imposing order, and consistently putting things back where they belong.

Remove the Clutter

Money clutters our lives in a million ways. From the statements that fill our mailboxes and inboxes to the myriad of choices we have for each sort of account, it's amazing that we all don't just give up and walk away. If we're going to know where our money is and how it's working for is, we need to eliminate some of this fluff so we can see the true state of things.

To declutter your money:

Choose whether paper or electronic statements work best for you and sign up for only one method of delivery
Choose one time every week or month to spend on "money stuff." Don't look at anything financial, whether it's a statement, bill, or something else, until then.
Pick one or two credit cards that work best for you. Consider interest rates, perks, and where you can use your different cards. Whether you cancel the other cards or not, stop using them unless there's an emergency.
Consolidate locations as much as possible. If you can have all your checking and savings accounts in one place, that will be easier. The same goes for your investment and retirement accounts. Even if you don't consolidate entirely, having some accounts together is better than having each one with a separate institution.

Impose Order

Now that you've gotten rid of some of the extra clutter in your finances, things should look a little clearer. To help keep them that way, set up some structures in your life that will help keep your finances in line.

To impose order:

Track your money one way. Whether you use an online tool, like Mint.com, or software like Quicken, or you have a pen and paper way that works for you, do it. But try to avoid having more than one system going at a time. Make sure that the system you set up can handle all of your balances AND is something you're comfortable with.
Keep all of your money stuff in one place. This can include receipts, bills, statements, your checkbook, a calculator, and anything else you need to track your finances. Get your whole family used to depositing their receipts or any financial mail that comes in this place, so it will be there when you're ready to look at it.
Consolidate your due dates. Many credit cards, lenders, and other companies that bill you, can be flexible with when your bill comes due. If your due dates are scattered all over the place, talk to these companies to see what you can do about making them all come due at once, or a couple of times a month, so you're not constantly trying to figure out what needs to be paid next.
Find a method. Decide whether you're going to pay bills once or twice a month, whether you need to track spending weekly or if monthly is acceptable, etc. Write down your plan, and stick to it. Don't look at your money the rest of the time.

Tidy Up

Now that you're rid of the clutter and what's left is in order, all you have to do is maintenance work to keep it that way. If your efforts at decluttering were successful and your structures are good, this work should be minimal.

To tidy up:

Follow your plan. If you say you'll sit down for 30 minutes every week to assess your current financial situation, do it. Set up some reminders for yourself, whether it's time scheduled in your calendar to alarms on your phone.
Make sure your tracking is working. Be sure that all your important transactions are, in fact, getting tracked and that everything is consistently working the way it should. After the first couple of months, you won't have to do as much of this, but it's especially important at first.
Evaluate your method. After you've worked with your new structure for couple of months, decide if it's good for you as is or if there are some things you want to change. You can tinker with the details as much as you want until you find what works for you.
Make anything new fit into the plan. If you open a new investment account, try to use a company you're already working with. If you have a new bill, try to make it due at the same time each month as your current ones. Don't let new things take you back to that place of clutter and disorganization

Money doesn't have to be difficult and frustrating to tackle. If you can get your financial affairs simplified, organization is easy and you'll always know where your money is.

Permalink | 12 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Personal Finance

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Outfit Your Nursery for Less: 10 Tips for Finding Low-Cost, High-Quality Things You Need for Your Baby

Sarah Winfrey — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:28:06 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

Having a baby is so expensive! I should know . . . I'm six months along. On top of your copays for office visits, ultrasounds, midwives, etc., there's all the stuff that comes along with making a space for the baby. Things like changing tables, strollers, cribs, and even baby clothes and blankets add up, after a while. In fact, many couples put off having a child because they know it will cost so much.

Luckily, there are some good ways to save a lot of money on the baby items you want. And I'm not talking about getting cheap knock-offs that won't last. These tips will save you money on everything from generic diapers to top-of-the-line brands and the best-quality items.

1. Get the News Out

When you're comfortable telling people you're pregnant, make sure the word gets out. People have come out of the woodwork to give my husband and I things that would have cost us a small fortune to buy ourselves. At this point, we've received a free car seat, a baby Bjorn, a rocking chair, and an entire wardrobe of 6-12 month little girl clothes, and those are just the big things. Because people don't use baby items for that long, they're often more than willing to pass them along, free of charge, to friends and family.

2. Ask Your Friends

If you're looking for something specific, talk to people you know who already have children. Often, they'll know the best way to get it at the best price. Friends are also a great place to get advice about what is absolutely necessary for your baby, what it's nice to have, and what you really don't need to waste your time and money on. Beware the unwarrranted advice, though. There's something about having a baby that causes some people to want to give you their opinion on every baby product ever known to mankind.

3. Sign Up For Deals

When I bought a few maternity items at a local outlet mall, they put me on a mailing list. Usually, that's annoying, but in this case, I'm already getting quality coupons for things like diapers, bottles, and clothes — things almost every baby needs, at some point. And I'm also hearing about new products. This can be a little overwhelming, but it's been nice to know what's out there.

In addition, if you sign up for a baby registry at Target or Babies R Us, they will put your on their mailing list and send you special notifications about deals on different items. A friend of mine purchased 4 months of diapers for $75 through one of these deals . . . smokin'.

4. Use Coupons

Don't be bashful about using your coupons . . . that's what they're there for. If you're a smart coupon shopper, you can combine discounts at some places or get your coupons doubled at others and get things for prices you wouldn't believe. Stores and manufacturers issue coupons for all the essentials, so keep your eyes pealed and take advantage of a deal when you see one.

5. Shop the Sales

All baby items go on sale at some point, even the high-end ones. When there's a new line coming out, prices are slashed and it doesn't matter who the manufacturer is. If you get on the right mailing lists, you can get notifications of these sales. Sign up both with your local store and the company's website, so you can be sure to hear all the news.

In addition, search for some of the smaller or more obscure baby stores in your area that might carry a particular high-end item. These stores are more likely to reduce prices when they only have 1 or 2 of an item left in stock. If you time it right, you can get a truly astonishing deal.

6. Resist the Media

You don't need everything you see advertised. In fact, you don't need half of it. Ask around . . . see what other people used and what gathered dust in the nursery. Talk to several different families who've had kids to make sure you get a balanced opinion, then decide for yourself what you want and need. Many parents choose to start their "baby collection" with a minimum number of items and find that they never need to buy more.

7. Have a Shower . . . Heck, Have Several

Sure, showers are a time to celebrate your baby, but they're also a time to get some of these things that you need. Be sure your registries are up-to-date well before the date of the shower and full of items in all price ranges, so people can pick and choose what to get you. Alternately, tell your shower's host or hostess that you'd like to receive contributions toward one larger item (or she can collect the contributions and present the item at your shower, if there's enough dough contributed).

8. Craigslist

Craigslist is a great place to find slightly used items. You can get especially good deals on strollers and cribs here, as they are higher-ticket items that people don't want to just give away, but do want to get rid of all the same. You may have to follow your search for a few weeks before you find what you're looking for, but my experience is that it's always a good deal in the end.

9. eBay

While eBay offers some of the same sort of slightly used items you can find on Craigslist, they're also a great place to find items that have been recently discontinued. Case in point: several of my friends who had babies several years ago all ended up with the same diaper bag, because it's simply fabulous. When I went to purchase mine, I found that they are no longer made. But a quick search on eBay revealed several, all under the original price. In fact, I got my bag and paid for shipping for less than I'd have had to pay at a store. Like Craigslist, you may need to check back over several weeks to find an item that's just right for you.

10. Collect Diaper Money

It's easy to get inundated with baby clothes and blankets and all the big stuff, like cribs, strollers, and furniture that come along with having a baby. When this happens, you can forget about the regular expenses that come up after the child is born. However, more and more, parents are needing some help to cover these, too. There are numerous places online where you can set up a diaper fund that people can contribute to, and the service will send you diapers regularly for a year. If you don't want to pick a brand ahead of time, simply nominate a collector and advertise that this is an option for a baby gift. This is especially good for people who live far away from you but still want to give something — they don't have to pay postage or send a box, and they can still give you something important.

Check out these articles for more money saving tips for designing your registry and shopping for your baby:

How have all of you saved money on your baby paraphenalia? I'd love to hear your suggestions in the comments.

Permalink | 11 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Shopping

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4 Tips to Save on Car Insurance

Sarah Winfrey — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:00:03 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

Auto insurance is one of those pesky, nagging things, almost like a tiny leech. It sucks money away and we're not even always aware of it, at least until we have to write another check. The bad news is, car insurance isn't avoidable. Most states have minimal amounts that you're required to carry in order to drive legally. But the good news is that there are some easy ways to save money on your car insurance.

Compare Rates

Before your current policy is up for renewal, get some quotes from different insurance companies. Many people find that they can save up to $500 each year on insurance by going with a different company.

While there are websites that will give you quotes from several different companies, it's always a good idea to contact the companies you're interested in working with directly. Sometimes, they can offer you savings that you won't find if you go through the other brokers. The best plan is to get quotes both ways, and go with the one that works best.

Before you purchase your insurance, make sure you the company you're going with is nationally known and well-reviewed. It's not worth a price break if you're only going to struggle with the company every time you need something!

Check Your Credit Rating

Counterintuitive though it may seem, insurance companies use your credit rating to determine your rates. Statistics show that people with higher credit ratings file fewer insurance claims. If you've had the same credit accounts for a long time and have paid on them regularly and on time, you're considered a more stable person and a lower risk to the insurance company.

If there are mistakes on your credit report, clear them up before you look for new car insurance. If your credit is generally shaky, know that cleaning it up will eventually effect your car insurance.

Once you have a clean credit record, approach your insurance company and ask them to reconsider your case. If you still don't like the rates they offer, check around with other companies.

Combine Policies

Many car insurance companies will offer you a 10-20% discount when you combine your auto insurance with a renter's or homeowner's policy from the same company (some will offer the discount on BOTH policies). Occasionally, it's even possible to get both policies for a price that's lower than what you would pay for car insurance without the second policy.

Another option that's becoming more and more available is to tie your car insurance to your health insurance. Since healthy, strong bodies are less likely to need extended treatment if you get into a minor accident, staying healthy can keep your rates down if you have one of these policies.

Whenever you consider combining policies to save money, make sure that the second policy is something you actually need. Maybe you have an amazing deal on homeowner's insurance through your job, or your health insurance is entirely paid for. Don't get yourself into a worse financial situation just to save a few dollars!

Pursue Your Discounts

Probably the most common way to save money on car insurance is through discounts offered by your insurance company. What most people don't know is that these discounts are not necessarily applied automatically. Most auto insurance companies try to apply them whenever possible, but they don't always have enough information to know that a certain discount should apply to you.

Ask your insurance agent regularly about the available discounts, and calculate yourself which ones you should qualify for. Check your policy or talk to the company again to make sure each of these are showing up on your policy. When you get another statement, check again. If the discounts aren't applied, make another phone call.

Insurance companies deal with so many people that it's easy for your discounts to get lost in the shuffle. By taking responsibility for them yourself, you'll be able to ensure your savings.

Adding it All Up

When you're thinking about car insurance, remember that every little bit adds up. A 2% discount may not seem like much, but over time it can make a big difference. When every penny counts, that difference is magnified even more.

Permalink | 11 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Cars and Transportation

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Tips and Tricks for Dealing with a Recalcitrant HMO

Sarah Winfrey — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:24 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

There is a healthcare crisis in this country. Whether you like Obama's proposed resolution to these difficulties or not, the crisis is very real. And HMOs can be the most difficult of the current types of healthcare to deal with. You don't have to search news stories very long to hear about people who were denied essential treatment when their lives were on the line, or had treatment postponed so long because of bureaucratic red tape that their conditioned worsened beyond medical intervention.

While many of us won't face these kinds of struggles with our health insurance, most of us will, at one time or another, have to struggle with our insurance company over payment approval, referral approval, or any one of a myriad of other common issues. Here are some tips to help get insurance issues resolved as quickly as possible with a minimal hassle.

Talk to a Person

Many times, the number on the back of your HMO card or the one that's available online will take you to an automated system where it's difficult or impossible to get an actual person on the line. Websites like gethuman will help you figure out how to navigate this system so you can talk to a real, live human being. If your problem is at all unusual or difficult, talking to a person and not a machine is essential, as messages are much easier to lose or ignore than a person with a voice and a story whose questions the employee actually has to answer. If you do choose to leave a message the first time, do not assume that the issue is dealt with. Call back and get a person if you don't hear anything within a couple of days, letting them know that you're following up on your message.

Keep Records

Every time you talk to your HMO, or someone at your doctor's office about your HMO, record the date, day, and time you made your call, whether you got ahold of someone or had to leave a message, the name of the person you spoke to, any different departments they transferred you to, and anything relevant that the people you spoke with said about your problem. This may seem like a chore, but these records can help you in a myriad of ways. You may realize that you're speaking to a person that you've spoken to before, and your notes will tell you whether or not they were helpful last time and whether they followed through with anything they might have said they'd do for you. Records also allow you to say, "Yes, I called on [date] at [time] and [date] at [time], etc.," which will often let the person you're speaking to know that this is an ongoing problem.

These records will also serve you well if you ever have to file an official complaint against the insurance company or contest something they say. If you have records of having called to deal with this issue on certain dates and at certain times, they can often check call records or even recordings to find your calls. If you have records of who you spoke to and what they said they would do for you, the insurance company can further investigate the situation with specific employees.

While keeping records won't guarantee that your claims and complaints are handled well, they will help you get the information and give you the leverage that you sometimes need to get things done.

Be Polite

Health insurance companies, like other corporations, are beginning to make notes in files about how cooperative and polite different customers are on the phone. If you're known for having good manners, you're more likely to get the help you need, get passed on to a supervisor if you request it, and deal with people who are willing to go out of their way to help you. It's definitely worth it to develop a good reputation with these companies.

Ask for a Supervisor

If the person who answers the phone can't help you, or if you've spoken to someone at a particular level several times and your issue hasn't been resolved, ask to speak to a supervisor. Sometimes, they will put you through directly. Often, a supervisor has the authority to do things that the ground-level employees cannot do, or they know details of procedures that those employees won't know.

Other times, it will be company policy not to send you directly to a supervisor. In these cases, however, the employee you're speaking to will usually be required to forward your request to their supervisor even if you don't get to talk to them. Ask for this and let them do it if they offer, get specifics on when you should hear back from the supervisor's office, and get the supervisor's name. If you have to call back again, you can ask for the supervisor by name, which is often enough for them to let you speak to the person. You can also say, "{Supervisor's Name} was working on an issue for me and I'm following up on it." Unless you're dealing with a particularly difficult triage system, this is usually enough to get you through to someone who will be more helpful than the person who answered the phone.

Ask When to Call Back

End every conversation by asking when you can plan to see some resolution to your issue, or when you can call back to expect an update. You can even ask if the person you're dealing with has a direct number so you don't have to go through the receptionist every time. If you don't see any resolution by the date they gave you, or when it's time to get an update, call back and try to speak to the same person you were speaking with before. Remind them who you are, what the issue was, and what they told you about resolution or calling back. This will streamline your process, and will also let the employee know that you're serious about dealing with the issue and are not just going to let it go.

Call Back Frequently

If the employee you're speaking with refuses to give you a date of resolution or a date to check back, call back anyway. Most companies take about 2 weeks to process any changes, so give them about that much time before you call back. If you do this for a period of time and still nothing is resolved, call back more frequently. Every week, every other day, and even every day are viable options. Sometimes, you just have to keep nagging the insurance company before they'll act on an issue, particularly when acting will cost them money. But the squeaky wheel does get the grease, and if you annoy them enough (politely, of course!), then you're more likely to get some response.

Don't use this tactic too early, though. If you make a nuisance of yourself before you've truly given them the benefit of the doubt and not seen a satisfactory response, you'll be labeled a nag and the employees will be less likely to help you. Taking this route involves walking a fine line. Pay attention to the employees' attitudes and the way they speak to you. If they're trying to do their jobs and you're simply not giving them enough time, back off for a week or so.

This is also a good technique to use when a particular employee, especially a lower-level one, refuses to give you what you need or pass you on to a supervisor. Call back later that day, after normal business hours, on the weekend, or the next day and, chances are, you'll get a different employee, who may very well be more helpful to you.

Use Names When You Call Back

If you're keeping records, the first time you call should be the only time when you cannot ask for an employee by name. Having a specific person to ask for immediately marks you as someone who cares about your problem, is more likely to be tenacious in getting resolution, and has enough presence of mind to be keeping track of your conversations. All of these characteristics will make you stand out from the crowd, which will make it more likely that you see some resolution.

Having a name also helps you develop a relationship with a particular employee or group of employees. Sometimes, resolution can be a product of one employee who knows your problem, some of your story, and begins to care for you beyond the normal customer, enough to go our of their way to see that you get what you're looking for. Asking for an employee by name and discussing your problem with them repeatedly can help develop this kind of relationship.

Resolution

In the end, health insurance companies are all about money. If you want them to spend more money on you than they think they should, you will be facing an uphill battle. While the above ideas don't guarantee a resolution to your problem that you like, they do give you a better chance of finding a happy ending to your problem. I'd love to hear any other tips and tricks you've used when dealing with your HMO, so leave them in the comments!

Permalink | 13 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Consumer Affairs, Health and Beauty

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Eat Healthy This Winter Without Spending a Fortune

Sarah Winfrey — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:05:07 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

It's getting to be fall. Can you smell it? I can't, but I know it's true because I see the fruits and vegetables in my grocery store changing. Slowly, the peaches, nectarines, and plums are getting more expensive and less tasty, and the winter staples like apples, pears, and potatoes are taking center stage. It always makes me sad, this transition from summer to fall, when I have to say goodbye, for a whole year, to some of my favorite foods. But the only other option is to pay exorbitant prices for food that tastes worse and that I know has been brought in from far away, and I'm just not willing to do that.

If you're like me, reveling in the fresh produce of summer and saddened when it departs in the fall, despair isn't your only option. There are good ways to preserve fruits and vegetables that allow you to enjoy them through fall and winter without paying a price that's too high, either for your pocketbook or for the planet.

Space

The first thing you need when you think about storing food is space. Depending on where you live, this may be anything from a cabinet to a shed to a cellar. The space you have will determine not only how much food you can store, but which sorts of storing you can do, so do some research before you commit to anything.

Supplies

You'll also want to have an abundance of supplies on hand for each type of storing you want to do. For instance, if you want to can, you'll need to make sure you have Mason jars with sealable lids. If you want to dehydrate, you'll need all sizes of bags and something to write on them all with. It's a good idea to get these items together beforehand, as you won't necessarily be able to run to the store in the middle of the process if you run out of something.

Storage

When it comes to storing fresh fruits and vegetables, water loss is the main culprit in making food taste bad, followed by the growth of bacteria and fungi that causes the food to spoil. But some fresh foods lose water more slowly than others. This includes winter squash, onions, and potatoes. If you store these items in a cool, dry place, they can last for several months before going bad. In addition, the cool temperature will help keep the bacteria and fungi away.

Freezing

Most fruits and vegetables can be frozen for 8-12 months without a problem. However, each fruit or vegetable freezes best under different conditions. Before you begin, check out the University of Minnesota's site to see what you should do with each fruit or vegetable you want to freeze to maintain optimum conditions. In general, you will want to blanch your vegetables before freezing and you will freeze your fruit in a simple syrup that will help preserve its color and flavor.

The upside of preserving fresh food by freezing it is that you maintain much of the nutritional value. The downsides are that it takes up a lot of space (frozen food isn't any smaller than unfrozen food) and isn't immediately accessible for use (you have to thaw it first). For a more complete view of what it takes to freeze food long-term, check out the University of Minnesota.

Drying

There are several ways to dry fresh fruit and vegetables: sun drying, oven drying, and dehydrator drying. This works especially well for herbs and spices, but can also be used on just about any fruit or vegetable you can think of. If you're planning to dry a lot of produce, you'll probably want to invest in an electric dehydrator, so you don't lose the use of your oven for days at a time.

Like with freezing, individual fruits and vegetables should be dried according to specific instructions. Both FarmGal and Washington State University have all the information you'll need to get started.

Drying is great for herbs and certain fruits, and it's best when you have a limited amount of space. But it takes a lot longer to get the food to a storeable state when you're drying it, and many fruits and vegetables don't reconstitute especially well.

Canning

The most important thing to consider when you're thinking about canning is safety. Food canned at an improper acidity level can develop some particularly nasty kinds of bacteria, and you don't want anyone to die for a few vegetables. Luckily, there are instructions and recipes all over the internet for canning different foods in safe ways.

Some fruits and vegetables can be canned using a boiling pot of water on your stove. Others require a pressure canner to be safe. Whatever your recipe calls for, be sure that you know how to use it properly before you get started, to ensure the safety of all who eat your food.

That said, canned fruits and vegetables are some of the yummiest around. They retain nutritional value well, are easily accessible, and the food inside the can looks and tastes like the fresh item you put in there. However, canning can be labor intensive and overwhelming for beginners. The best way to learn is to work with someone who cans, instead of starting out on your own.

Other Methods

Freezing, drying, and canning are the Big 3 when it comes to methods of storing fruit and vegetables long-term. However, some items are also tasty when pickled and others make great jams and jellies. Luckily, there's more then enough information on the internet to get you started, whichever plan you choose. The important thing is that you don't have to miss out on your favorite summer fruits and veggies just because they're out of season, nor do you have to pay exhorbitant prices to eat them. The ability to store them long-term is right in front of you and is easy to pick up and begin to use.

Good luck!

This post was included in the Make It From Scratch Carnival.

Permalink | 7 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Food and Drink

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The Lowdown on Spending Less for Your Food but Getting More

Sarah Winfrey — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:00:03 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

The last several years have brought wave after wave of new information about the food we put in our mouths and how it gets there. From Fast Food Nation to The Omnivore's Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, it can seem like there's more bad news every time we turn around. We eat too much. We eat the wrong things. Our food has additives we wouldn't recognize if they slapped us across the face in broad daylight.

It's a daunting prospect to plow through all of this material to figure out what's real, what's paranoid, and what choices we want to make for the future. Whether we do that hard work or listen to the voices of others who have done it, many of us have developed convictions about eating less, eating local, and eating organic.

These convictions about what we will and will not put in our mouths are all well and good when we're sitting at home making the grocery list, but what happens when we're standing in the grocery store debating between the conventional tomatoes, at .99 cents a pound, or the organic ones, which can run $2.49 and up? When our convictions about food clash with our convictions about money, who wins?

Luckily, it doesn't have to be a knock-down, drag-out battle, because it's not a win-or-lose situation. In fact, it's quite possible to find the best quality food for yourself and your family without violating either set of mores.

Don't Shop the Stores

While most grocery chains now carry organic products (and many are beginning to carry local ones, too!), the prices they sell these healthy foods for is much higher than the prices you'd find the same items selling for in other venues. Check out your local farmer's market (find one in your area at LocalHarvest). These venues usually don't have the same markup that the chain store has because you're buying directly from the farmers. Without the middleman, you get wholesale prices on the same high quality items.

Pick and Choose

If there's not a farmer's market available in your area, or you can't get there because of time, transportation, or other reasons, pick the items that you buy local and/or organic and purchase conventionally the rest of the time. The Environmental Working Group has tested most of the more common fruits and vegetables for all sorts of pesticide and soil contaminants and offers this handy buying guide that lists the 12 items most likely to be contaminated as well as the 12 least likely. If you take it with you when you shop, you can avoid pesticides and needlessly high prices, all in one swoop (They also offer the whole list of all the foods they tested and their relative pesticide load, if that's more your style).

Try a CSA

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) started in Japan and has spread across the world. When you participate, you pay a fee for a share of the farm. They are able to use this money as capital for their food production, and in turn you receive a box of locally grown, organic fruit and/or vegetables an a regular basis. CSA boxes are an adventure. You'll get to try all kinds of produce that you might not even see in a grocery store, let alone pick up, bag, and take home. With decent internet access, you can always find recipes, and you can even find photos to identify items you don't recognize. On top of the fun factor, most CSA's do their best to keep their prices competitive with those available at the farmer's market, and some make a point to price their boxes lower, to reward those who choose to invest in the farm that way. Find a CSA near you via LocalHarvest, once again.

Grow Your Own

If you pick the produce out of your own garden, you not only have the satisfaction of having participated in making something you can eat (which is a lot cooler to experience than it sounds), but you also know exactly how the pests were controlled and you can calculate how much you're spending. JD, over at GetRichSlowly, has done just this. You can read about his conclusions from his 2008 garden, or track his progress this year. As it turns out, many of the things you can grow yourself will turn out to be cheaper than the ones you can buy.

Do Your Best

Depending on where you live, finding easily accessible produce that makes you feel good about what you're eating and about your wallet may be easy, or it may be quite difficult. Whether you're as successful as you'd like to be or not, that thought counts for something. How you approach food is important, not only because the food itself is so important, but also because you'll be the first person to jump, vote, lobby, or whatever when opportunities to get the food you want do come to town. And they are coming. Slowly but surely, Americans are choosing to change the way they eat.

Have you found any stellar ways to save on high-quality food? Let us know in the comments!

Permalink | 20 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Food and Drink

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Walking the Tight Rope of Financial Recovery: The Mental Game

Sarah Winfrey — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:00:03 +0000

By Sarah Winfrey

It’s been in the papers, on TV, and all over the Internet. In fact, if you haven’t heard yet that the economy seems to be recovering, you must have been living somewhere remote or taking a real vacation (in which case, kudos to you). And it seems to be true. Though some economists are tentative and a few disagree outright, the majority of people in the know believe that the worldwide recession has hit rock bottom and we are now, slowly but surely, climbing our way out of the financial doldrums and back into prosperity. Bully for us.

However, most of America (and I would assume much of the world) feels tentative about approaching this with anything other than a wary skepticism. We want the economy to recover, and we hope that it is, but we won’t believe it and embrace it until we see it. The truth is, most of us haven’t seen much change yet, and probably won’t for at least several months.

Since the hunker-down mentality hasn’t proven particularly successful in the past, we have to discover a way to walk a tightrope of a middle line—to actively embrace the recovery while still living with the present mess and acknowledging the fact that we might not erase its effects for quite a while.

As it turns out, most of preparing ourselves for whatever lies ahead comes down to how we think about it. Whether we succeed in walking this line or fall off on one side or the other comes down to how we think about the current economic situation and our places in it. Like Yogi Berra said, 90% of this game is mental.

Some Things to Think About

The economy is not going to recover quickly. We fell, and we fell hard, and now we get to fight our way back up the cliff’s face until we are, once again, standing on top of that mountain. As we all know, falling is easy, but crawling uphill is much more difficult.

What does this mean for us? It may take years for our investments to regain the ground they held before. Jobs might be slow to rebound, as companies have become leaner and meaner as they’ve had to slim down. House prices may not bounce back as fast as we’d wish.

None of that sounds positive, except that at least things aren’t getting worse. Knowing it, however, helps us know how to live in this awkward time of recovery. It helps us plan for the future, because we won’t count on things that won’t necessarily happen. It also helps us know how to order our lives right now, as our priorities will change as the economy recovers.

Another item to consider: any recovery, no matter how strong, may not undo harm done during the recession. If you’ve filed for bankruptcy or are deep in credit card debt, an economic recovery isn’t going to solve those problems. It might make them easier, but they’re still there. If you took a lower-paying job because the one you wanted wasn’t available, you may have an easier time getting a better job but you’re still stuck with the one you have for the time being

The Attitude Adjustment

Whether you believe it or not, I didn’t say any of that to depress you. It’s the truth of our times, and it’s only when we’re living in the truth that we can accurately assess our own situations and walk that fine line. In fact, that’s one of the big attitude adjustments we’ll need to make if we’re to navigate this situation successfully: live in the present. It’s great that things might improve, and even better when you’re pretty sure they will. If that better situation isn’t actualized, though, you’re better off embracing the situation you have than gambling it all on the future.

Alongside that, don’t expect miracles. It’d be great if the market climbed this fall like it fell last year, but there’s no reason to believe that will actually happen. If we plan our resources to cover a slow recovery, we’ll be pleasantly surprised if things rebound faster than expected but won’t be left disillusioned and disappointed if they don’t.

And the final attitude adjustment we can make is to look back at the lessons we’ve learned during this recession and determine how we want to carry them into our post-recession lives. Most of us have made budget cuts—we’ve learned to spend less in certain places so we can cover our bills. Maybe we’ve learned to make our own food or furniture or clothing. We can let all of that go, relieved that we’re done with it, or we can take it into the future with us, making our lives after the recession different than they were before.

How are you approaching financial recovery? Tell me in the comments below.

Permalink | 9 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Personal Finance

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